CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
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"Come in," Jane called out, curious at the sudden visitor.
The door creaked open, revealing her lady’s maid. "Good day, Your Grace." There was an awkward expression on the maid’s face as she walked forward, "A… letter has arrived for you."
"A letter? Not an invitation?” Jane's eyebrows furrowed in surprise. She hardly got any letters. She peered at the item, “And who is it from?"
However, her maid's response only added to the enigma, "It is most surprising, but there are no sender details or further explanations, Your Grace; only that it was meant to be urgently read."
She hesitated with the envelope in hand. “It was delivered by an unusual mailer. It had been unclear… if it was right to hand it over to you.”
A sense of confusion mingled with curiosity clouded Jane's mind as she reached out to accept the letter. But she maintained her composure, and with a soft-spoken thank you and a nod, she sent the maid on her way.
In the quiet of her room, feeling suddenly surrounded by secrecy and unanswered questions, she unfolded the mysterious letter, her hands moved quickly, curious of what message lay inside. Her eyes began to skim the delicate paper, the words on the page seeming to jump out at her, sending a chill down her spine instantly.
"My Dearest Lady Jane,
I trust this message finds you well, for the same cannot be said for your dear adopted nieces; Louisa and Margaret. Fear not, they are quite fine at the moment. However, should you fail to heed my words, they shall bear the consequences of your defiance.
Meet me at the abandoned churchyard by the old oak tree the moment the sun dips below the horizon, or soon witness the fate I have in store for them.
Your absence will not be tolerated, for my patience wears thin. The shadows of dusk shall reveal the price of your disobedience.Remember, my Lady Jane, your actions have consequences, and the lives of your loved ones hang in the balance.
Yours faithfully,
The One."
The sinister tone of the letter sent shivers down Jane's spine as she read each threatening word. Her hands trembled as she clutched the ominous letter, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum of dread. The words leaped off the page, each line a chilling picture of her loved ones in danger.
Jane couldn’t stop reading it over and over as if the words would suddenly change.
The girls! My girls…
Her feet started to move before she could even realize what she was doing, leading her to the end of the hallway.
“Your Grace, is anything the matter?” Margaret’s eyes were wide with worry when Jane appeared, a picture of fright and panic.
Only then did Jane let go of the breath she’d been subconsciously holding. From what she had heard earlier, both girls were having their last piano lessons for the day, as usual.
“All is well, my darling.” She answered with as little tremble as she could muster. The demand to meet at the specified location within an hour never left her mind.
With the weight of the ultimatum pressing down on her psyche with each passing moment, she ended up having to excuse herself, a suffocating sense of helplessness enveloping her as she grappled with the harrowing decision she had to make.
Colin's absence only added to the turmoil in her mind. The uncertainty of his whereabouts amplifying her isolation in this moment of peril. The seconds ticked by relentlessly, hanging over her like a dark cloud.
Without a moment longer wasted, with her nerves on edge and her shoulders tense, she slunk out of the house. Heading straight to her carriage.
Arriving at the desolate location under the cloak of darkness, she felt a shiver run down her spine as the chilling isolation of the place enveloped her. The shadows danced menacingly around her, casting eerie shapes in the dim moonlight.
This feels like a nightmare.
At last, her eyes spotted a figure looming in the darkness, sending a jolt of fear through her.
"Who's there?" Her voice trembled as she called out.
It was all happening too fast. Way too fast.
